Trapped! Read Online Free

shouted, waving his arms over his head and running a few yards down the road behind the truck.“Stop! You lost your pig!” He saw three other pigs in the back of the truck and feared they would fall out, too.
    The truck’s brake lights came on for a couple of seconds when Alex yelled, and Alex thought the driver was looking in his rearview mirror, but instead of stopping, the driver hit the gas. The engine roared louder, and the truck sped out of sight.
    The pig squealed loudly, tried to stand up, then flopped back down.

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    A ll of the children rushed toward the pig.
    “Those pigs weren’t tied to the side or anything,” Alex said. “They couldn’t keep their balance, and there was nothing to hold them in the truck except that low tailgate.”
    “The way that guy was driving, it’s a wonder all of them didn’t fall out,” Rocky said.
    “Don’t touch the pig,” Mary warned. “Injured animals can be dangerous.”
    “We need to get help,” Alex said.
    The pig made a high-pitched squealing sound.
    “Gramma will call the rescue group,” Mary said. “Why don’t Benjie and I stay here, to be sure no other vehicle comes around the curve and hits the pig. Alex, you and Rocky run back and tell Gramma what happened.”
    “I want to go, too,” Benjie said. “I want to tell about the pig.”
    “We can run faster without you,” Rocky said.
    “But . . .”
    “I need you to stay here,” Mary said, “to help me with the pig.”
    Alex didn’t like leaving Benjie with Mary and the pig, but he knew it was the best plan.
    Alex and Rocky ran faster than they ever had before, all the way down the hill, past Hilltop, and into Valley View Estates. They were out of breath when they got to Mrs. Sunburg’s house, and had to take turns talking, to tell her what had happened.
    “What did the truck look like?” she asked.
    They described it.
    “Did you get a license-plate number?”
    Both boys shook their heads no. “It all happened so fast,” Alex said. “I was trying to get the driver’s attention. I was looking at him, not at the license plate, plus there was a lot of dust blowing in my face.”
    “I was watching the pig,” Rocky said. “I was afraid it would be killed, falling out like that.”
    Mrs. Sunburg called the animal rescue group. She repeated the boys’ story, gave driving directions, and said, “I’ll meet you there.” She grabbed her bag of animal first-aid supplies, motioned for Alex and Rocky to follow her, and rushed to her car.
    “The rescue group is sending a truck,” she said as she drove out of Valley View Estates. “They’ll notify the police, too.”
    By car, it didn’t take long to reach the end of the pavement and start up the gravel road. “It isn’t far now,” Alex said, and Mrs. Sunburg drove slowly.
    The pig was still lying in the middle of the road. Mary and Benjie stood in the road about twenty feet from it, one in front of the pig and one on the other side. They waved when they saw the car approaching.
    “No other cars came,” Benjie said.
    “There’s a lot of gravel embedded in her skin,” Mary said, “and I think one of her legs is hurt. Whenever she tries to stand up, she squeals and flops back down.”
    “Her name is Piccolo,” Benjie said. “Piccolo Pig.”
    “How do you know that?” Rocky asked.
    “Because I named her.”
    Alex gazed at the enormous pig. Beneath her bristles, the taut skin was as round as a barrel. Clearly this pig had not gone hungry. Thinking of how delicate a piccolo is, he said, “She looks more like a kettle drum than a piccolo.”
    “She makes a high, shrill noise, like Aunt Jenny’s piccolo,” Benjie explained and, as if to prove his point, the pig did exactly that.
    Mrs. Sunburg slowly approached the pig. The closer she got, the more agitated the pig became. “Easy, girl,” Mrs. Sunburg said softly. “We’re here to help you.”
    The pig tried to struggle to her feet, then gave up.
    “Pigs are social animals,”